In making the long-awaited decision as to who would reimagine its home, the New York Philharmonic — together with Lincoln Center — has made a surprising choice, selecting the London firm Heatherwick Studio and Diamond Schmitt Architects of Toronto to redesign the interior of David Geffen Hall. [...]

He will essentially be replacing the British heavyweight Norman Foster, the Pritzker-winning architect who a decade ago was commissioned to redesign what was then known as Avery Fisher Hall. — nytimes.com

It may seem surprising that a Canadian was chosen to design a Russian state-funded match for the historic Mariinsky Theatre. Gergiev, general and artistic director of the theatre, visited Diamond’s Four Seasons Centre, home of the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, and was wowed. When Gergiev and Diamond met for dinner the following year, the two saw eye to eye on everything from acoustics to street continuity. — music.cbc.ca